#1 Hodinohson:ni Creation Story: Lessons of Life

Summary

The video script explores the Haudenosaunee creation story, emphasizing its cultural significance and lessons for humanity. It discusses the sky world, the descent of life to Earth, and the symbolic elements like the tree of light, the three sisters, and the duality of good and evil. The story underscores responsibilities towards nature, the interconnectedness of all beings, and the importance of gratitude and harmony in maintaining the balance of life.

Takeaways

• 🌌 The Haudenosaunee creation story explains the origin of life and the world, emphasizing the journey of beings from a sky world to Earth.
• 🌳 The celestial tree in the sky world was a source of light, and its dimming initiated the process of life's descent to Earth.
• 🌙 The Moon, or Grandmother Moon, plays a significant role in the story, symbolizing the phases of life and the connection to the feminine.
• 🌾 The 'Three Sisters'—corn, beans, and squash—are gifts from the creation story, essential to the Haudenosaunee people and represent the balance and interdependence in nature.
• 🐸 The story involves a council of water animals, including a muskrat and a beaver, who help the Sky Woman, a central figure in the creation narrative.
• 🐢 The turtle is a symbol of the Earth and time, with its shell representing the calendar and its role in the story highlighting the importance of harmony with nature.
• 🌀 The dualistic nature of creation includes both good and bad elements, represented by the twin boys, one who creates beneficial things and the other who brings challenges.
• 🌈 The rainbow is a reminder of the connection between the earthly and celestial realms and serves as a symbol of hope and the ongoing struggle between good and evil forces.
• 🍃 The story teaches the importance of gratitude, love, and mindfulness, emphasizing that humans are interconnected and have a responsibility to care for one another and the environment.
• 📚 The creation story serves as a foundational guide for the Haudenosaunee people, influencing their cultural practices, values, and relationship with the natural world.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the Haudenosaunee creation story?

The main theme of the Haudenosaunee creation story is the origin of life and the balance between good and evil, with the story illustrating the perpetual regeneration of life and the responsibilities of humans in the world.

What is the significance of the Sky World in the creation story?

The Sky World is significant as it is the origin of life where beings lived, and it is from here that the process of life's descent to Earth began, symbolizing the divine and the starting point of the creation narrative.

Who are the three sisters mentioned in the creation story?

The three sisters in the creation story refer to the three essential crops given as gifts to the ancestors: corn, beans, and squash, which are vital to the Haudenosaunee people.

What role does the grandmother Moon play in the story?

The grandmother Moon is a critical player in the story, symbolizing the female aspect and the cycles of life, death, and rebirth, as well as providing light during the darkness.

What is the significance of the twin boys in the creation story?

The twin boys represent the duality of creation, with one being good-minded and creating beneficial things, and the other creating challenges and negative aspects, illustrating the ongoing struggle between good and evil in the world.

Why is the turtle significant in the Haudenosaunee creation story?

The turtle is significant as it symbolizes the Earth and serves as a timekeeper through its shell, which represents the calendar. It also plays a crucial role in catching the sky woman who fell from the Sky World.

What does the creation story teach about the relationship between humans and nature?

The creation story teaches that humans should live in harmony with nature, recognizing the interconnectedness of all living things and the importance of maintaining balance and respect for the natural world.

How does the creation story explain the origin of the Haudenosaunee people?

The creation story explains that the Haudenosaunee people originated from the union of the sky woman and the beings from the Sky World, with the first human beings created from clay and given life by the Creator.

What is the importance of the 'three sisters' in Haudenosaunee culture?

The 'three sisters' are of immense importance as they are considered life-sustaining crops and are deeply ingrained in Haudenosaunee culture, symbolizing the interconnectedness and mutual support among the people.

What does the story of the creation twins signify about the world's challenges?

The story of the creation twins signifies that the world is filled with both good and bad, and that humans are born into a world where they must navigate these challenges, learning to live in harmony while facing adversities.

How does the creation story emphasize the importance of gratitude and thanksgiving?

The creation story emphasizes gratitude and thanksgiving by highlighting that all that is needed for a good life has been provided by the Creator, and it is the duty of humans to express thanks for these gifts and maintain a harmonious existence.

Outlines

00:00

🌌 Introduction to the Haudenosaunee Creation Story

Rick Hill introduces a webinar on cultural fluency, focusing on the Haudenosaunee creation story. He discusses the story's significance, its lessons for humanity, and its definition of human responsibilities. The creation story is complex with many versions, but it generally describes the origin of life from a sky world. Key elements include the sky world's longhouses, a dying tree of light, the moon's role, and the three sisters (corn, beans, squash, and other plants) as gifts to ancestors. The story also features twin boys symbolizing good and bad creations and the clans' significance. Hill emphasizes the Haudenosaunee universe's layered structure: the sky world, the sky dome, the great ocean, and the dark water world below.

05:00

🌙 The Role of the Sky World and the Sky Woman's Descent

The paragraph delves into the sky world's details, including the celestial tree of life and the moon's significance. It introduces the Sky Panther, a comet-like figure causing turmoil, and the old chief guarding the tree. The narrative focuses on the Sky Woman's fall from the sky world, symbolizing the start of life's perpetual regeneration. She is saved by birds and placed on the back of a turtle, which becomes a foundational symbol in Haudenosaunee culture. The turtle is also a calendar, representing the 13 moons and days of the month. The paragraph touches on the underworld's mysterious and dangerous nature, common in Northeast Native cultures.

10:02

🎭 The Creation's Impact on Haudenosaunee Society and Rituals

This section discusses the impact of the creation story on Haudenosaunee society and rituals. It describes the Sky Woman's journey, her placement on the turtle's back, and her influence on the land's growth through her dance. The paragraph highlights the importance of women in society, connected to the land and the creation process. It also covers the birth of the first woman from the Sky Woman and the emergence of the good-minded twin and Flint, who bring both good and bad to the world. The story illustrates the origin of various plants and the significance of the three sisters in sustaining life. The paragraph concludes with the symbolism of the deer antler in Haudenosaunee culture, representing authority and the power to protect the creation.

15:03

🌾 The Three Sisters and the Balance of Creation

The paragraph focuses on the three sisters—corn, beans, and squash—and their spiritual essence, representing a symbiotic relationship that benefits all. It discusses the balance of creation, where the good-minded Creator and his brother Flint engage in a contest, creating beneficial and harmful elements, respectively. The story illustrates the importance of harmony with nature and the recognition of both good and bad in the world. It also touches on the origin of the Haudenosaunee people and the significance of the four winds, each represented by an animal and influencing the world's elements.

20:04

🌈 The Rainbow's Symbolism and the Creator's Final Instructions

This section explores the symbolism of the rainbow as a connection between the earthly and sky worlds, and as a call to the Thunder beings for protection. It discusses the Creator's final instructions to humans, emphasizing gratitude, love, and mindfulness in thoughts and actions. The paragraph highlights the importance of the creation story in understanding the world and humanity's responsibilities within it. It concludes with the message that all elements necessary for a happy and healthy life have been provided, and that humans must live in harmony with nature and each other.

25:06

🌱 The Foundation of Life and the Importance of the Creation Story

The final paragraph summarizes the creation story's teachings, emphasizing the foundation of life and the original instructions that guide the Haudenosaunee people's connection to nature, each other, and the universe. It discusses the significance of the Earth as the mother, the moon as the grandmother, the sun as the elder brother, and the winds as the grandfathers. The paragraph underscores the importance of the creation story for future generations, urging forward-thinking and care for the Earth to ensure the continuation of life. It concludes by appreciating the audience's time and engagement with the story.

Keywords

💡Creation Story

A creation story is a myth that explains the origin of the world and how life began. In the context of the video, the creation story of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) people is highlighted, emphasizing the journey of the Sky Woman and the emergence of life from the union of the Sky World and the Water World. This story serves as a foundational narrative that outlines the cultural beliefs, values, and responsibilities of the people towards the natural world and each other.

💡Sky World

The Sky World is a concept in the Haudenosaunee creation story where life originated. It is depicted as a celestial realm where beings lived in longhouses and a tree of light provided illumination. The Sky World is central to understanding the video's theme as it sets the stage for the descent of life to Earth, symbolizing the divine origin and the interconnectedness of all living things.

💡Sky Woman

Sky Woman is a key figure in the creation narrative who falls from the Sky World and becomes the progenitor of life on Earth. Her story illustrates the video's emphasis on the sacredness of life and the responsibility of humans to preserve and protect the natural world. The Sky Woman's journey and her actions upon reaching the Earth are integral to the Haudenosaunee people's understanding of their origins and their connection to the land.

💡Three Sisters

The 'Three Sisters' refers to the trio of crops—corn, beans, and squash—that are central to Haudenosaunee agriculture and culture. These plants are highlighted in the video as gifts from the creation story, symbolizing the importance of agriculture and the interdependence among living things. The Three Sisters also represent the harmony and balance that the Haudenosaunee people strive to maintain with nature.

💡Grandmother Moon

Grandmother Moon is a personification of the moon in the creation story and is associated with the Sky Woman's daughter. In the video, she symbolizes the cycles of life, particularly the fertility and nurturing aspects of women. The concept of the Grandmother Moon is used to illustrate the video's theme of the cyclical nature of life and the reverence for the celestial bodies that guide and influence life on Earth.

💡Twin Brothers

The Twin Brothers are characters in the creation story representing the dualistic forces of good and evil. The Good-Minded Twin creates beneficial things for humanity, while his brother Flint creates harmful elements. Their story in the video underscores the ongoing struggle between maintaining balance and harmony in the world and the potential for chaos and destruction.

💡Clan System

The Clan System refers to the social structure of the Haudenosaunee people, where individuals are part of matrilineal clans that connect them to the natural world. The video mentions clans such as the Beaver, Wolf, and Turtle, which provide a sense of identity and responsibility towards the environment. The Clan System exemplifies the video's message of interconnectedness and the importance of community and cooperation.

💡Sacred Instructions

Sacred Instructions are the teachings and guidelines provided by the Creator in the creation story, instructing the people on how to live in harmony with nature and each other. The video emphasizes the importance of these instructions as a foundation for the Haudenosaunee way of life, highlighting values such as gratitude, love, and mindfulness in actions and thoughts.

💡Thanksgiving Address

The Thanksgiving Address is a ceremonial expression of gratitude in Haudenosaunee culture, acknowledging the gifts of creation and the interconnectedness of all life. In the video, it is mentioned as a practice that reinforces the theme of gratitude and respect for the natural world, reflecting the cultural values of harmony and balance.

💡Four Winds

The Four Winds are symbolic of the four cardinal directions and the spiritual guardians associated with each direction in Haudenosaunee belief. The video describes them as the West Wind (panther), North Wind (grizzly bear), East Wind (moose), and South Wind (deer). These winds represent the diverse forces of nature and the video uses them to illustrate the comprehensive and respectful relationship the Haudenosaunee people have with their environment.

Highlights

Introduction to the Six Nations Polytechnic and the significance of the Haudenosaunee creation story.

The creation story's relevance to modern life and the cultural lessons it imparts.

The responsibilities of human beings as defined by the creation narrative.

Description of the sky world and its inhabitants in the Haudenosaunee cosmology.

The role of the celestial tree of life and its connection to the cycle of regeneration.

The symbolism of the three sisters: corn, beans, and squash, and their significance in the creation story.

The tale of the twin boys and their contrasting contributions to the world.

The concept of the honi universe as a sphere with a sky world, a water world, and an underworld.

The story of the old Chief and the tree of light, symbolizing the start of life's descent to Earth.

The journey of the sky woman and her fall from the sky world to the water world.

The significance of the turtle in Haudenosaunee culture as the bearer of the Earth.

The emergence of the island and the role of the sky woman's dance in its growth.

The birth of the first beings in the new world and the introduction of the concept of duality.

The struggle between the Creator and Flint, representing the balance of good and evil in the world.

The importance of the three sisters as life-sustaining gifts and their role in the Haudenosaunee culture.

The spiritual essence attributed to plants and the interconnectedness of nature.

The Creator's instructions for living in harmony with nature and the importance of gratitude.

The significance of the deer antler in symbolizing authority and the connection to the creation story.

The role of the four winds and their symbolic representation in Haudenosaunee culture.

The message of the creation story as a guide for future generations and the importance of forward thinking.

Transcripts

the hoodon creation story this is part

one of a series of webinars on cultural

fluency my name is Rick Hill I work at

DOA hag the Six Nations poly Technic in

the Shan Ontario so what is the meaning

of our creation story what relevance can

we derive from story today what are the

cultural lessons that our creation story

has for us what are our responsibilities

as human beings as defined by this story

and how is the cultural intention of our

creation expressed to us our creation

story is a long involved story there's

many different versions of it many

different ways of looking on it but

basically the idea is that uh life on

this world came from above there was a

sky world in which a beings much like us

lived in long houses they came down

through a hole in that sky and a whole

era of Perpetual regeneration was

started this painting by Arnold Jacobs

summarizes what the creation story is

about we're going to take a look at all

of these

elements so above in the sky world were

long houses and there was a tree in that

world and gave off bright light but the

tree was starting to dim starting to die

we see here the images of the moon the

grandmother Moon becomes a critical

player in our story we see the three

sisters corn beans and squash along with

strawberries and tobacco that were the

gifts of creation to our ancestors we

see two twin boys a good- minded boy who

made good things and his brother who

made things that weren't so good and we

also see an image of the clans of the

families these are just elements of our

creation story we'll take a look at we

have to understand that the honi

universe is like a sphere there's a

world above called the sky world but

there's also this Sky Dome that holds

the celestial bodies that we see there's

a big ocean in the middle and number

four in this slide here and then below

it is a dark World Water World these all

elements come into play and Define ing

Us number one shows this light world

that we're in daylight the good times

the time of the Creator number two shows

the Dark World when the sunlight

disappears and darkness takes over and

his brother Flint begins to rule the

world so this shows a graphic depiction

based upon a painting by Ernie Smith who

was a Sona from tananda of that sky

world in which these beings lived there

there was this old Chief who was

guarding that tree we can see it it's

been uprooted creating this hole in the

sky world a light falling down there's a

woman called the sky world who fell

through that hole was eventually uh

saved by a flock of geese placed on the

back of a turtle they say the Muskrat

and the Beaver tried to dive down into

the water to get the Earth which the

world was made out of but we'll take a

look at all of these things but this

gives us an idea of the sequence most of

the stories have been depicted through

paintings and artwork and there's few

recorded versions that go back to the

early 19th century so up in the sky

world this tree of light they said the

flowers gave off light this old man was

guarding it but but he had kind of a

consternation there was something

bothering him he had a deep-seated dream

wish that the tree needed to be uprooted

in order for life to proceed in another

Village was a young woman who was

suffering her grief for the loss of a

loved one and she couldn't stop crying

somehow they arranged that this young

girl needed to meet this old man she

brought some cornbread with her to give

to him to help ease his uh mind and then

he in turn gave her some benison to help

uplift her mind they say this was a

marriage in the sky world between male

and females but the idea is that she

became pregnant and eventually she fell

through that hole into the world below

she was caught by the birds as they put

their big wings together and they placed

on the back of the turtle and this

carving by Stan Hill so we see here also

the symbols then of this you can see the

Sky Dome and the little curly queue on

top that represents that tree up in the

sky world we can see the Blue Line

representing the water world and all the

cross hatching representing the the

world underneath there and on top of

that is either a little Mound with three

plants growing or the little green with

the red to represents life on the back

of the turtle because this is where the

original skyw woman was placed so the

world above is very fascinating to us

maybe all cultures look skyward when

they want to figure out what's the

meaning of life but up there then this

Celestial tree of life that gave off a a

br beautiful light we also see symbols

of the sun and a silver brooch and that

of the Stars the stars are very

important to us we're told that there

are our ancestors up there in the sky

world and then the phases of the moon

help us because it does provide some

light at night so this this lightness of

daylight is offset by the darkness

because of the stars and the Moon in one

version of The Creation story there's a

sky Panther that races through the sky

he's like a comet and they said that he

was the one that probably started this

thing happening he he created

consternation in the mind of the old man

that maybe the the baby that the skyw

woman was carrying wasn't his so some

people believed he cast her of the sky

world I prefer to believe that they sat

there and they made an agreement that

her Destiny was to fall into this world

below and start a era of constant

regeneration anyway the sky Panther is

depicted in these various versions we

see here a clay pipe I mean a wooden

pipe we see an antler carving and you

can imagine this Panther racing across

the sky so fast he appears to be a light

later in this story we find that the

comet becomes the symbol though of

impending danger because the this

Panther caused some consternation in the

original creation story so the celestial

tree of lights up there in the skyroll I

kind of believe it's modeled after a

sunflower as we can see here with many

flowers on it this design is beaded on

nearly every skirt that the honi women

wear and you imagine then the whole

circle of women dancing around you can

see this beautiful designs in there each

one recalling our origins in the

creation story they say around that tree

up there in the sky world grew this

little plant called yellow dog tooth

Lily or a yellow

Violet somehow when the skyw woman was

falling she grasped at the edge of the

hole and some people believe then some

of the seeds of Life were caught into

her hands possibly this plant here

what's ironic about this plant is that

it was used to prevent pregnancy so was

the old man guarding the tree of life

that had this plant around there hoping

that that plant wouldn't come into this

world but it did it followed the skyw

woman and so we had two things going on

here the sky world light was diminishing

almost like it was dying death came to

the world above she had to start this

process of Perpetual regeneration and

giving birth to protect life that was

about to come into the new world I think

it was his hope that this plant didn't

follow the skyw woman so the skyw woman

fell it must have been quite a journey

falling into this Dark World Imagine was

like a shaft of light coming down but

there was water animals down there

before there were Birds uh turtles fish

fish other animals that lived in the

water they looked up and they saw this

woman coming into this water will she

fell and all of the animals that were

already there and the creation story

doesn't explain where they came from and

why they were there but they held a

council together they were able to

communicate with one another they

basically asked what are we going to do

about this this creature we see falling

from the sky we have to help her so they

decided to send their big birds up there

to break her fall we imagine that there

are the Canadian geese they put their

wings together they caught her and they

slowed her brought her down to the back

of a turtle this painting by Arnold

Jacobs kind of depicts the what the view

from above might have looked like to the

skyw you know in prehistoric times there

were huge turtles as we can see here

large enough to put carry somebody on

their back at first you know the story

sounds a little fanciful but then I

start thinking about it it's possible

now these are sea turtles the likelihood

of my ancestors ever seeing them are

pretty slim but the fact is that there

are in the old days Turtles big enough

to carry a woman on its back so the

turtle is known to carry a home on his

back this little Mound shaped thing this

a Dome on his back this is why we use

the turtle to make a rattle when used in

our ceremonies because it represents the

shaking of the earth everything to comes

harmony with that beat the heartbeat of

Mother

Earth the turtle shell is also our

calendar there's 13 main plates on the

back talk about the 13 moons that happen

usually in every year and then there's a

number of smaller plates that go around

the outside that represent the number of

days of the month between each new moon

so we could keep track of time so the

turtle is this symbol of the Earth rest

on its back but it's also an important

timekeeper to us and as we know turtle's

been around ever since prehistoric times

we also know that underneath this land

there is another Underworld this is some

photographs of place called House

Caverns near Albany New York some people

say there's a whole network of cave that

goes all the way across the territory

the hod noon from Albany to Niagara

Falls that deep dark underworld that's

what our ancestors talked about and the

world below is occupied by very

mysterious Danger beasts and this is a

commonality to Native cultures in the

Northeast we see here this horned

serpent among the anishnabe people there

was a drawing of this

feathered serpent long tail long antlers

uh that was near St Louis and the early

French Jesuits as they were traveling

around they saw this depicted on the

side of a of a cliff or this other one

here of this Panther with antlers comes

from a Delaware image from Lower State

New York anyway this idea the underworld

and of this dark dangerous place is

common to our

ancestors so the skyw woman fell placed

on the back of the turtle and they said

then a little uh muskrat Dove to the

bottom of that world came up with a

little piece of clay put it on the back

of the turtle and kind of magically

began to grow somehow this inspired the

skyw woman she began to sing began to

dance as she moved her feet on the back

of this little mound of mud it began to

grow more and more she danced she danced

in a counterclockwise Direction the

island grew bigger and bigger and bigger

as she was dancing they said that she

would turn from time to time and she

would cast the seeds that she brought

from the sky world around the different

crops the plants that she brought from

above into this so today when we see a

women's dance you'll see them kind to

mimic those actions they're actually

repeating and honoring what took place

at the creation with the original skyw

woman and this is one reason why we

honor women in the hudo Shoni Society

it created a worldview among our people

that women have a special connection to

this land to this earth these two

paintings they talk about the skyw woman

remember she was pregnant when she fell

from above placed on the back of the

turtle she gave birth to a daughter so

the first being born in this new land

was a woman and that daughter grew very

rapidly and they said she became

impregnated now there's two different

versions of the story one is sh here

gets she gets impregnated by the West

Wind or in another version of the story

she gets impregnated by this

very handsome man who was actually a

turtle Spirit he came and he laid two

arrows over her bed one had a flint

point on it and one didn't have any

point as a result of that she became

pregnant with these two twins one we say

is the good- minded twin made with the

arrow with no point and his brother

whose body was covered with Flint

symbolized by the Flint on his arrow tip

so these creation twins both had the

power to make things but they also

battled they battled inside their

mother's Body In fact when they were

born born uh the good- minded twin was

born in the natural way but his brother

decided to be born out from underneath

his mother's arm and doing so tore her

body apart and caused her to bleed to

death so the good- minded one comes into

the world to do good things his brother

comes into the world and actually

killing his mother and seeks to destroy

all of the good things that his good

minded brother was

creating I believe this is also the

origin and of this stylized haircut that

our Warriors had because they said when

Flint was born he had a crest of sharp

Flint on the top of his head like this

roach imagine it's a sharp arrowheads

and that's what cut through his mother's

body so I believe that when our old

Warriors wanted to go to battle and they

shave their head they're recalling this

moment which Flint brought death to this

world therefore the image on the war

clubs the image of that they paint

themselves with this red symbolizing the

blood that they're about to spill

becomes a common feature to Warriors

among the the Northeast so when they

buried the body of the daughter

a strange thing happened they say these

plants grew from her body so this is a

drawing by Jesse cornplanter senica from

Tanda we see the original skyw woman now

becoming a grandmother we see one of her

grandsons contemplating the death of his

mother out of her head grows a tobacco

plant from her her chest grows the corn

from her stomach grows beans a squash

and then from her feet grow potatoes so

these are the gifts of life that she's

giving in the the sacrifice of her body

so this is why we say the grandmother

moon is connected to the females the

grandmother moon is actually derive from

the body of the daughter that passed

away her head was turned into the moon

and as the moon grows full each each

month it mimics then that the

possibility that women could become

pregnant actually was there was a

feeling at one time that all women

became pregnant at the same time but at

any rate this growing Belly of the Moon

and then it missions represents this

life cycle among the females so it was

the gifts of the daughter who passed

away this life-giving gifts that we call

the three sisters corn beans and

squash strawberry which is our first

medicine plant that we honor and the

tobacco plant that we use to offer

Thanksgiving to the powers to be so in

her passing in her death came this hope

for Renewal this hope that life would

continue that's why something like the

simplest corn may seem so but yet what a

precious gift because it allows us to

take this very hard kernel and process

it and cook it to produce food that will

sustain our lives so this is why we

actually call the three sisters uh our

sustainers our life supporters the thing

that makes us continue this is the gift

that the creation gave to us but there's

more gifts look at these purple potatoes

they say that these are the original

wild potatoes That Grew From her feet

you don't hardly see them anymore next

to it is some heirloom potatoes potatoes

are just as important to the indigenous

people of the Americas as corn there

many V wide varieties of corn that we

were given it's a great gift we probably

had 15 different kinds of corn the one

you see on the left is actually got a

little husk around each kernel it's

considered a great medicine You' plant

one of those in your corn field help to

renew that a wide variety of beans were

also given to us we probably had 40 or

50 different kinds of beans that were

used in the past and a wide variety of

squashes maybe a dozen or so different

types so you see this great blessing

that the creation gave us its original

food plan and it was provided for us

this is a painting of The Three Sisters

by Ernie Smith we also believe there's a

spiritual Essence to the plants like

three sisters standing together helping

one another we've learned since then

that the beans produce nitrogen that

feeds the soil that the corn needs to

grow so they're kind of helping each

other like sisters are supposed to so

this was also the way that we were

taught that nature is that it responds

it has an intelligence has a spirit and

that we need to come in harmony with

that

so this great contest began between the

Creator and his brother Flint they

played all kinds of games they wrestled

with one another they ran Races they

played lacrosse and this this scene

depicted by John faden shows the goodmed

Creator about to strike his brother with

a deer antler and bring his attempt to

rule the world to an end and when he did

that he struck his brother kind of

knocked some SS into him in some of the

stories they say he actually killed him

but he he dis empowered him and what

happens then is they make an agreement

and the Creator says well my brother

since I love you you're still going to

be part of this creation but you're no

longer going to try to destroy what I'm

doing the Creator then went about and

started making things that were going to

be beneficial to the humans that he was

also going to make they say these are

the first three things that he made a

yellow sunflower which was the first

food plant Red Willow which was the

first medicine plant and the blueb bird

which was the first feathered bird to

help beautify the Skies he was creating

all of this stuff all of these plants

and animals and things that we would

need in order to be beneficial for us

things that would provide us food as

compared to those animals that we don't

eat their flesh but we use their Furs to

keep warm during the winter all of this

was provided for us there was a great

intelligence to the plan that was made

however Flint was also creating things

before he was pacified he made

everything that was icky and stinky and

poisonous and dangerous and ugly all of

this stuff to undermine the beauty of

creation they say that as the Creator

made things his brother tried to mimic

it so when the Creator made the bluebird

Flint tries to make a bird but he just

doesn't quite have the same power and

his bird comes out looking like the bat

in the middle they say when the Creator

finally made some humans his brother

still tried to make some humans but

instead they turned into a monkey so he

began to make things to undermine the

great peacefulness and security that the

Creator brother was making so Flint's

job was to pervert nature he created

hail to knock down the new plants he

created ice to kill everything in this

world he created some mysterious animals

like this blue

lizard all of these things that make it

very difficult so there's a beautiful

medicine plant you go to pick it it has

thorns there everything is to just cause

some turmoil to humans the Creator

couldn't change all of this because his

brother did have some creative Powers

but what they decided was that Flint was

going to go live underground he's going

to take all those creepy CR things with

him so maybe this is why then we have

this idea that these horn serpents are

underground there actually is a

rattlesnake that has these horns we can

see in the top thing it's not so much

common to our country but this idea of

lizards snakes with the horns Panthers

with a longtailed horns and you look at

the design they represent the waves of

the water when things are calm they're

at rest when they act up and whip their

tail then the waters kick ups and if

you're in a canoe on a rough weather you

realize that your fate could be you'd

end up down there as lunch for these

serpents but in all things of our

creation story you know there's some

good things and there's some bad things

there's some serpents that are helpful

to us as well sometimes it's hard to

know the difference between the two all

that means is that humans were born into

this great drama of trying to exist in

this world it has some very beneficial

things some dangerous things this talks

a little about the origin of the Sonica

Nations where this huge serpent circled

this hill there were only two people

left and eventually they they figured

out how to kill this serpent he rolled

down the hill and died and that place is

called Bald Hill it's near canonwood New

York around the bottom of that Hill

you'll see these round Stones they say

were all of the skulls of the people

that this serpent had

digested the creater also made the Four

Winds from the four different directions

and he put in charge of this this wind

keeper and the west wind is like a

panther racing across the sky the north

wind is like a grizzly bear bringing the

icy cold winds the East Wind is like a

moose who dips his head in the water and

Shakes off and sends the cool rain and

then the warm gentle Winds of summer are

like a fawn walking around or a dough

looking to have its baby somewhere

restful so these four animals symbolize

that when this Keeper of the Winds holds

them all together there is no wind for

that day as depicted in the painting by

or lions the creator also made a rainbow

took those colors from those original

colors from the blueb bird the red

Willow and the yellow sunflower and he

did this to remind us when we see the

rain

that our life here is connected to up in

the sky world there's this path that

goes that way but he also said that when

a rainbow appears particularly when it

goes from ground to ground and looks

like a bow that's a call to the Thunder

beings who exist behind the dark clouds

they'll race and they'll grab that bow

and their job is to chase those horn

serpents back into the water to keep

that underwater Panther under there so

when we would see a rainbow it's kind of

a symbol of um tragic or dramatic times

you have to be very careful because

Danger lurks on the

horizon this creates a universal

struggle then between the sky world

beings like the Thunder beans who shoot

their their arrows of lightning at these

serpents trying to keep them under the

water so when we hear thunder rolling we

always give thanks because they're

they're there to try to protect us to

try to cleanse the air cleanse the water

and keep a disease and pestilence uh

under ground where it

belongs as I mentioned and the Creator

had to defeat his Brethren use this deer

H her to strike him and that knocked

some sense into him but that's when they

made the their Arrangement that they'll

separate into the two Realms so the deer

antler becomes a very important symbol

to us we see it later in that when we

made Chiefs in our communities we put

deer antlers on their headdress to

symbolize their Authority so there's

great power in these deer antlers and

just like the deer the male deer moose

and Elk they shed their antlers every

year and so we believe in that that

shedding of their antlers symbolizing

what took place at the time of the

creation and yet they're renewed by it

and their antler grows stronger grows

bigger every year so the antlers on a

chief headdress symbolizes not only

their Authority but their ability to

look after the creation just as the

Creator defeated his brother he also had

to defeat the skyw woman because for

some reason she cited with Flint she

worked very hard to undermine the work

of the Creator so they ended up playing

this great bowl game and it really was a

great uh Gamble for the future of the

world they use these little counters

that are dark on one side and light on

the other just like a chick's head they

put them in the bowl and they shake the

bowl and what they're playing for is

who's going to win uh those little beans

on the lower right the SE literally the

seeds of life well the Creator since he

made the Chickity made the dice he

actually used chick's heads in his when

he shook the bowl they all flew up and

of course they all came up the way that

he wanted he was able to to beat his

grandmother at this game and losing the

game she

decided I Now understand what you're

trying to do I understand the goodness

of what you're doing so I'm going to try

to help you so she shifted her focus and

she became an an instrumental part in

making the world safe for humans to this

very day we still play this game that

some call the great sacred Gamble and in

that we also bet four things a turtle

rattle a lacrosse stic our traditional

clothing or a string of white wam those

are the things that we offer you don't

really lose the game if even if the

other side wins all of the being but

it's this idea that we're reenacting

this story from the time of creation and

whoever wins the game then wins certain

ceremonial U obligations for the coming

season so it's a way of balancing that

in their community and you'll see this

game played at several of our ceremonial

celebration and

Thanksgiving the creator also made

nature as if it was one big dish and he

gave us one spoon from which we would

all share from that dish the idea is

that we all have an equal right to

what's in the dish all the plants the

animals the fish all of the medicines

all of that good stuff and that we would

take this spoon and we'd all take our

share you always leave something in the

dish for everybody else so these

depictions of the dish we can see the

one wam design which is very uh

important the dish is one spoon we can

also see in the lower left a bark trade

that was made by Joseph brand when he

brought people here to Grand River so

the tray divided into five sections and

in the middle are little depictions of a

beaver tale because the beaver tale was

considered the most nutritious meal that

we were supposed to share after all of

this was done the Creator said it was

safe for him to make humans he took some

clay he molded a figure he put in some

of his flesh some of his blood some of

his mind he breathed into this figure

and it came alive and this is the

original human beings what we call the U

original sacred beings these are

different depictions of humans from

ancient art of our ancestors but at the

same time he gave us some instructions

about how to live here in the world he

said I've made this world for you but

you need to know how to live in it well

so we call these original instructions

the foundation of our life it's the

thing that guides us in our connection

to Nature to each other to the celestial

beings to the Unseen forces of this

universe and you can see these depicted

in vary ways so look at this cradle

board design it's a mohawk cradle board

you can see the Sky Dome and these three

things is that the three sisters that

this flowering tree up above all

represents this life will continue then

there was this ancient carving found in

the field near where the tusor nation

resides today in Leon New York so it

looks to me like on the back of this

bear is this woman with a baby on her

back say connection to the animals is

very important through Clans we all

become intimately connected with a

different aspect of Nature and we have

animal Clans bird Clans reptile Clans uh

it's fish cins it's very important to

our people to find a way in which we can

be connected to the forces of nature but

also when we look up into the sky at

night and we see these Stars what they

tell us the Stars Then are the spiritual

essence of our ancestors they return to

the sky world where they came from and

then they sparkle they gather around the

campfires of our other relatives they

say the Milky Way is this great pathway

of the footprints of all of our

ancestors who traveled there so the

whole idea is that the Earth is our

mother the Moon is our grandmother the

sun is our elder brother the winds are

our grandfathers and these crops are our

Three Sisters that's one huge extended

family that you're never alone

eventually part of our spirit will

return on that path to the sky world

when we have a lot of great stories

about the Stars we've lost a lot of

knowledge about them but we still have a

few one we talk about these Seven

Brothers who were dancing they danced so

hard and so well they love dancing so

much they began to rise up into the sky

and they're still today visible you can

see them dancing there we call it the

ples the other is the story about

hunters who are chasing this wounded

bear they keep chasing him every year

when he arrives up above us in the fall

time his blood drips down on the trees

and changes the leaves from green to red

and orange and yellow that's manifested

in the Sky by the Big Dipper so when we

see these stars move and in certain

places that tells us when we're supposed

to have our

ceremonies so now you should be able to

provide some interpretation of this

painting I did of the creation we can

see the sky world and you see that

little uh indication of the tree of life

we see the grandmother Moon the elder

brother Sun we see the skyw woman who

fell there brought down eventually these

twins and then we see the North America

on the back of the turtle so these are

the teachings of creation to summarize

this great long story this great

tradition that we are told to be

thankful everything that we need has

been provided for us in the creation all

that we need to be happy and healthy is

there and all we need to do is be

thankful for it this is why our

ceremonies are so important we were told

that we should also love one another

that all humans are the same and we all

connected to one another even though we

have different Clans and different

nations that we're all sacred beings and

so we should care for one another have

such great love for one another as to

not bring any harm to each

other and then the third thing is he

said we should be mindful though that

our words our thoughts and our actions

have po you have to have a good mind

they said you have to to be thinking

about good things in order to live well

in this

world so this is why whenever we gather

you'll hear a long Thanksgiving address

and we're thankful for many things in

the creation but we often start after we

thank the people we acknowledge that our

mother the Earth still continues to do

the job that she's set out to do she

supports our feet as we walk around she

provides all this bounty she provides

this great nurturing in this painting by

Carson Waterman Sonica from elany we can

see that that life was meant to continue

here in the world so our creation

stories a long involve of process by

which we've gained uh our position here

in the world our responsibility in the

world but it also hangs in Jeopardy if

humans don't do what we're supposed to

do this could all come to an end so this

is why it's important to take a look at

the creation story not only to think

about what it was like a long long long

time ago but think what it could be like

a long long long time from today we have

to be Forward Thinking and to think

about all of those babies that are born

out of the Earth for their future so

this is why it's important to take a

look at the creation story and I

appreciate you taking the time with me

today